beta-glucan films with different plasticizer concentrations (glycerol and water) were deformed in tension and various mechanical characteristics (modulus of elasticity, yield stress, strength, and strain at rupture point) were evaluated. The influence of both plasticizers was of additive nature describable by the total plasticizer content. The influence is reflected by an exponential decrease of either modulus of elasticity or yield stress with increasing total plasticizer content. The film strength decreased linearly with plasticizer concentration, whereas the decline in strain at the rupture point followed a power function. It was also found that the stress parameters can be expressed via modulus of elasticity: the strength as linear function of the square root of the elasticity modulus and the yield stress as a linear function of the latter parameter. On the basis of such relations a quadratic function between strength and yield stress was proposed. This relation well describes the character of the deformation curves that were obtained at different deformation conditions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 51:2564-2570, 2011. (C) 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers